


The Shadows of Another World

by Phurtershep



Category: Persona Series, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Shin Megami Tensei Series
Genre: Adventure, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:00:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22251484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phurtershep/pseuds/Phurtershep
Summary: The soul of a human is transported to the Pokemon world after death in order to combat the Shadows spreading across its reaches. What fate awaits them and their new companions as they attempt to balance the challenges of being an Exploration Team with the lethal danger of Shadow infested mystery dungeons that are appearing?On hiatus while I work on other projects
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	1. A New Form and a Blue Contract

Darkness.

An empty void.

That was all the consciousness felt.

_”What… am I?”_

The words weakly shown across its vision, and then with them a slew of memories.

Through them, one word slowly burned into its mind, **Human.**

_“I’m human.”_

_“I’m…”_

_“Human…”_

* * *

The consciousness slowly felt itself weaken, unnaturally suspended within a sea of souls. Then, a bright flash of light. The consciousness was blinded, but could not move or close its nonexistent eyes to shield itself. Slowly, it faded into a slowly shifting array of colors.

“What are you?” a voice suddenly said.

“A human.” the consciousness replied

“Do you have a gender, or do you not remember?”

“I don’t remember, but... what are you?”

“You may learn with time, you are the subject, not I.”

“I’m not even sure who I am though, how can I answer questions?”

“If you remember it or not, you are still yourself deep down. The answers will come naturally, if you understand why or not.” 

The consciousness was silent for a few moments before it began to speak. “Alright, I’ll answer.” The colors that the consciousness could view grew more vibrant in an instant, and a subtle warmth began to spread through its mind.

“If you were alone with someone else’s purse, what would you do?”

“Leave it alone.”

“A friend suggests you go to eat with them before they leave on a trip, but you have no money. What do you do?”

“Be honest.”

The questions continued on and on, the consciousness slowly becoming more and more sure in its answers, until suddenly the voice stopped, and gave a few moments pause before continuing.

“This is the last of the questions I shall ask. If you find yourself with the power needed to protect the people of the world against ensured destruction, even at the cost of your life, would you do so?”

The consciousness was now the one to pause again, before slowly answering.

“Yes, I would.”

“Good.” The voice replied, as a neatly folded white scarf began to appear before the consciousness. “Reach out and grasp it. Do not release it until you are ready.”

It obeyed, a tendril of swirling blue flame sliding over the scarf, completely obscuring it from view. Pure white light shone out under the flames, glowing ever brighter before suddenly stopping. 

“Remove it.”

The consciousness obeyed once again, the tendril of flame retracting out of view, and leaving behind a bright crimson red scarf.

“Thank you.” the voice said softly, “Judging by the person you appear to be, with an honest spirit, I believe a person like you would fit nicely as a Riolu.”

“Wait, a what?” the consciousness asked, as the form of the pokemon began to appear before it.

“This is the form you must take to coexist in this world.” The voice said, “However, there is someone who wishes to speak with you first.”

“But who-” The consciousness felt its question forcefully stopped, as the vibrant colors snapped to darkness in an instant and it felt like it was being slowly dragged into freezing water. Its vision suddenly began to form to a dark navy blue, a shining blue butterfly slowly floating in the void, before its perception began to shift again. 

For a few moments, it felt nothing.

Then it realized it had limbs, and after a few moments fur, a body, and legs.

Then it opened its eyes, and looked up to see a balding man with a long nose sitting at a long desk.

“Greetings, my most noble guest. Welcome to the Velvet Room.” The man said in an oddly pitched voice, “I am Igor, and this...” he motioned to his side, as a silvery pokemon with yellow eyes walked out from behind the desk, “is my attendant, Dorothea. You would recognize her form as an Eevee, in the world you are entering.”

“Where is this?” the newly formed Riolu said, looking around the room in disbelief. It appeared to be a mountain car, climbing indefinitely towards a far off peak. 

“As my master has said,” Dorothea began, with a voice oddly mature for such a small shape, “This this the Velvet Room. It exists between dream and reality, and is here to aid you in unlocking your innermost potential.”

“Indeed, though you may not realize yet, there is a unique power within you, especially for the world you are entering. A human spirit is a powerful thing, and you shall soon realize the power of Persona. When you unlock it, you will return here, and we shall be able to give you our full support.”

“But, before you can return here, you must sign a contract.” Dorothea said, a large, document appearing out of thin air. “You must agree to take complete responsibility for your actions, no matter what.”

“I see.” the Riolu said, stepping forward towards the floating paper. “What do I sign with?”

“As you do not have a name, simply press your paw onto the document.” Dorothea answered, sitting down. The Riolu obeyed, and pressed their “hand” onto the paper. At once, the spot they touched shone with a blue ink, before setting into the page in the shape of their paw.

“Now, I’m certain you have many questions, but I am afraid that our time here must now be cut short. As we speak, one approaches where you lay dormant.”

“Goodbye for now, until your inevitable return.” Dorothea finished, as the Riolu felt the sense of weightlessness he was born into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is a first for me.  
> Crossovers are something that I've thought up many times, but this is the first time i'm dedicating one to writing and posting it. I'd love to hear your ideas and criticisms, as this is (as far as i'm aware) the first crossover of this nature. Thank you for reading, and I do hope you enjoyed it.


	2. A Darkness on the Beach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Riolu awakens on the beach, they meet the daughter of a famous explorer before a thief suddenly take their opportunity. Chasing him into a mystery dungeon, they quickly realize all is not as it seems.

“Hey!” a feminine voice roused the Riolu from their slumber, as water washed over their feet. He opened his left eye, the one not covered in sand, and looked up to see another new pokemon, a blue and yellow animal with a long snout and eyes that appeared closed. A dark green bandana and a small bag were tied to its neck. Despite her eyes appearing closed, it could tell she was looking them over.

“Are you okay?” she asked, tilting her head and reaching out one of her small arms. The Riolu sat themselves up, wiping the sand off of their face. “Did you hit your head?” the stranger asked. The Riolu shook their head and stood themselves up.

“N-no, I’m fine.” they answered, looking around where the duo was. It was late afternoon, and the beach was littered with an oddly large amount of rocks. Another pokemon, one that looked like a crab, scuttled around a rock as the Riolu looked at it.

“Well, pleased to meet you! I’m Cyndaquil!” she answered, looking the Riolu up and down. “What’s your name?” 

“I’m…” they began before pausing.  _ What is my name? _ They thought to themselves, going silent. Cyndaquil gave an excited gasp.

“You must have animeshia!” she said, oddly excited at the prospect.

“Amnesia?” the Riolu corrected.

“Yeah that! You must have amnesia!” she triumphantly said as she hopped on top of a nearby rock. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you!” 

“How?” the Riolu asked, looking over to see a black and red vulpine pokemon watching the scene unfold. 

“Good question, my dad’s partner had amnesia too. They can probably help you.” Cyndaquil answered. The Riolu looked back to see that the vulpine pokemon was gone, replaced by a crab like pokemon skittering across the sand. 

“Really?” Riolu said, turning his full attention to Cyndaquil. She seemed earnest, and yet the Riolu could feel a strange apprehension growing in his stomach. “Where can I meet them?”

“Up over there, on Sharpedo Bluff!” the pokemon said, pointing towards a rocky cliff in the distance. 

“Hmm.” The Riolu said, turning away as the crab pokemon snuck up behind them. One of the edges had jutted out to form a bluff with a cave opening inside, taking the form of what appeared to be a large maw with empty eyes. A fire seemed to be lit inside, and the Riolu could see a large shape walking near it.

“My dad and his partner are really cool! I think you’ll- AHG!” Cyndaquil began, before the vulpine pokemon from before broke its illusion and tackled into Cyndaquil, sliding the bag over her head. It landed deftly, and bolted towards a cave opening nearby. “Hey! Give that back!” Cyndaquil yelled, running to the entrance of the cave. She stopped before stepping inside, and the Riolu could notice her hands shaking. 

“Why’d you stop?” the Riolu asked, running over behind her.

“It’s dangerous in there, my dad said I shouldn’t ever go in alone, and that pokemon stole all my things…”

“I’ll help you.” 

“What?” Cyndaquil said, turning to face the Riolu. “Really?!”

“Yeah. Besides, it's the least I could do. They got you and not me.”

“Okay but, do you know what this place is? It’s a Mystery Dungeon.”

“Mystery dungeon?”

“They’re these like mazes and places that are different every time you visit! They have all these aggressive pokemon, but they also have a bunch of treasure! My dad explores places like these when outlaws hide in them, or pokemon get lost in them and need help.”

“Well, the longer we wait the further away that pokemon gets.” The Riolu said, “We don’t have time to waste.”

“Right! Let’s go!” Cyndaquil said, a renewed vigor behind her voice. The Riolu quickly followed, as they stepped into the first floor of the Beach Cave.

Despite how dark it had seemed from outside, when standing within the cave it seemed to be lit somehow. Cyndaquil peered around the room they were in, taking in the atmosphere. There was an odd heaviness to the air, and it was silent. Cyndaquil seemed uneasy, but still proceeded through the floor. They didn’t encounter a single pokemon, and found a hole downwards without so much as a sound other than their footsteps. 

“S-Something’s wrong.” Cyndaquil said, devoid the energy and vigor she had before. “It’s way too quiet. It’s like there’s nothing else here.” She looked down one of the hallways. “Dad took me into one before, they... they aren’t like this. They’re not this empty.” 

Further pondering was interrupted by a loud scream coming from the hall to their right. The duo rushed down, as the vulpine pokemon carrying Cyndaquil’s bag rushed towards them. It skidded to a stop, a maniacal fear in its eyes. It appeared wounded, and was heaving immensely.

“There you are!” Cyndaquil said, stomping towards him, “Give me back my bag, now!”

“Here, take it!” the pokemon yelled, throwing the bag back. “Just get me out, please!”

“Were the pokemon in a mystery dungeon too much for you?” Cyndaquil said, standing up taller. Riolu could sense how much her confidence was wavering, but the vulpine pokemon didn’t seem to notice. Instead, he just shook his head in panic.

“No, these aren’t-” he began, as a black goopy hand gripped the corner behind him. He flipped around, releasing a fearful gasp. The claw tensed, and a blue mask slowly slid around, followed by a black mass. The blue mask appeared to be a sad human face, with a roman numeral one along the top. All three pokemon felt as the atmosphere around them seemed to thicken. 

“Th-that’s not a pokemon…” Cyndaquil said, her bluffed confidence breaking. “T-that’s…”

“A monster! They’re monsters!” the vulpine pokemon screamed, closing his eyes. “They’re gonna eat us!” Riolu stayed silent. Another one of the masked creatures followed the first, and was then followed by a third. 

“Run, now.” Riolu ordered. Nobody argued, and the party turned and ran. More of the shadowy creatures appeared as they fled, chasing them to the first set of stairs. They flew down without a moment of hesitation, only to find themselves in a far more bizarre area. A sickly red hue permeated throughout the area, including the darkness around them. They didn’t have the time to take in what was around them, as more creatures appeared from the darkness behind them. One took the form of a large mouth, with an elongated tongue hanging from it’s maw.

Each new turn revealed nothing good, either another shadow to the mass chasing them or a new addition to the nightmarish dungeon they were trapped in. What could only be described as torture equipment littered the areas, all either stained or rusted, and the puddles they ran through seemed slightly sticky. With each step the atmosphere seemed to press onto them more and more.

“There! That looks like more stairs!” Cyndaquil yelled. The group put on a burst of speed, and ran downwards. The sound of shadows chasing behind them ceased. 

“Is… this the end?” the vulpine pokemon said, appearing on the verge of tears.

“I hope so, it feels better down here.” Cyndaquil replied, taking a moment to catch her breath. They stepped out into the final chamber, only to feel dread strike them in unison.

It was a dead end.

There was no exit.

Cyndaquil ran over to the walls, running her paw up and down them as if to try and confirm they were real. The pressure in the air started to pile onto them again, as the same sickening red hue began to overtake the room. They turned to face the hallway behind them, as a venomous laugh filled the air behind them.

“Did you assume you could run from me so quickly?” a voice called from the darkness. The vulpine pokemon’s eyes widened. The sound of the creatures approaching filled their ears as they slowly crawled or floated from the stairs. The group backed against the wall, facing the horde as it approached. 

Then  _ it _ walked from the horde.

A doppelganger of the vulpine pokemon that Cyndaquil and the Riolu chased into the dungeon to begin with. 

Its golden eyes seemed almost glowing. The other creatures moved out of its way, allowing it through.

“Why hello, me.” The doppelganger said to the vulpine pokemon. He remained silent. “Come now, Zorua. You can at least respect yourself, even if you can’t show it to anyone else.”

“W-what are you?!” Cyndaquil demanded, her voice wavering.

“Me?” he asked in a sickeningly smug voice.

**“I am a shadow, the true self.”**


	3. An Inner Self and the First Oath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riolu awakens to their inner self, and uses his newfound Persona Setanta to escape from Zorua's shadow. Afterwards, he forms his first oath with his new partner Cyndaquil, and the duo agrees to return to face off against the shadows within.

**“I am a shadow, the true self!”** Zorua’s shadow said, taking another step towards the group. The creatures behind it stood at bay, staring eyelessly at the pokemon. The Riolu could feel their heartbeat in their neck, their breathing speeding up. They took a step forward to meet the shadow. “I’m hunting only myself, you know.” it continued with a smirk, “If you know your place I might just let you live.”

“Why are you doing this?” Riolu asked.

“Simple, I just want to destroy the weakness and cowardice that holds me back.” The shadow said, causing the real Zorua to wince and attempt to back further into the wall. “Even now, I try and run from myself, using the blood of others to try and escape.” it said, turning to look at Zorua. “I truly thought I would be different from Zoroark, but instead I’m just his weaker clone. Isn’t that just pathetic?” 

“Sh-shut up…” Zorua said, shaking against the wall.

“Come on, me. Reject it. You’re too much of a coward to even accept yourself.” 

The Riolu took another step forward. There was a burning rising up their throat, and they felt as though the scarf around their neck was starting to clamp around it.

“Y-you’re…” Zorua began, closing his eyes as he looked away from his shadow, “You’re not me…”

At once, the atmosphere in the room intensified. The shadows that were waiting at the edges of the room retreated onto the stairs, backing away from Zorua’s shadow. Black and red dust began to permeate the room, as the shadow’s form broke and stretched outward. With a roar, it sent the dust flying, revealing its true form. Its head had elongated into a long eyeless snout, its maw stretching to its neck. Chains wrapped around its body, restraining a pair of arms it grew on its back to its fur. The Riolu could feel the scarf around their neck, as it seemed to almost restrain their breathing. The shadow approached them as they struggled.

“You don’t have to die, you know.” it said in the same mocking tone, though in a far deeper voice. “Trust me, I understand all too well being too afraid.” The Riolu didn’t move, causing the monstrosity to laugh again. Cyndaquil stepped to their side, facing the beast as Zorua huddled against the wall behind them. 

“Looks like we don’t have a choice.” Cyndaquil said, shaking as she stood. 

“Oh, you did, but you chose poorly.” the shadow mocked, before quickly snapping at the Riolu. They hopped to the side, putting distance between them and the beast. A spark of flame fired into its back, causing it to whip its attention to Cyndaquil. The Riolu took the chance to spring at it, kicking its hind leg. The shadow didn’t budge, only clawed in return. The tip of the shadow’s claw pierced the pokemon’s skin, drawing both blood and a cry of pain. Cyndaquil breathed an ember at the shadow again, bringing the it’s attention away from Riolu once more. Riolu felt the sensation of time slowing as the shadow spun around and lunged at Cyndaquil. Both its claws and toothy maw were lunging towards her, leaving nowhere to dodge. The scarf around their neck tightened, finally cutting off the air from their lungs. The burning didn’t stop, instead spreading across their entire body. 

“You have need of strength, don’t you?” a young mans voice said inside of their head. Riolu nodded. Time slowly ticked, each new moment bringing the shadow’s maw closer and closer to Cyndaquil. “Quickly too, I see” the voice said with a chuckle, “Very well. As your inner strength, I, Setanta, shall aid you.”

“With a catch?”

“Nay, I am thou, and thou art I. We are one in the same. A human, and his-”

**“PERSONA!”** the Riolu yelled, ripping off the fabric that was choking him moments before. It burned into a blue flame, causing the shadow to pause and start to turn once again. Cyndaquil ducked under it’s claws, running from under it only to watch in awe as Riolu’s Persona took form. The features of a young armored warrior with short black hair formed, slowly forming from its head to its boots. It raised its arm, and a golden spear burned into its hand.

“What is that?!” Cyndaquil yelled, stepping away from both the shadow and Riolu.

“This… is my inner self! Go forth!” Riolu yelled. At his command, the persona lunged at the shadow, piercing through one of its claws with its spear. With a shriek of pain, it swiped at the persona with its other hand, making Riolu wince. Spear met claw multiple times, yet the shadow seemed unfazed. Trading blows like this wasn’t exhausting it, but it was wearing on Riolu far more quickly. 

“You should have listened, a coward wins in a situation like this.” The shadow mocked. It could tell their strength was slowly waning. Setanta took another blow, the shadow’s claws raking against his armored chest.

“If you need an escape route, make one.” Setanta said inside their head. “Break out of the prison that contains you.”

_ Break out… _

Cyndaquil ran forward again and took a deep breath. After a few extra moments, she released a cloud of thick acrid smoke, causing the shadow to wheeze and step back. Riolu took their free moment to use Setanta to slash into the wall. At once, the wall split, revealing a swirling red and black void. 

“Is that an exit?” Cyndaquil asked, as Setanta rushed back to Riolu’s side to defend them from the Shadow’s attack.

“I don’t know, but we don’t have a choice!” Riolu said, feeling their knees buckle as Setanta took another blow. Riolu allowed themselves to be slowly backed towards Zorua, where they dragged the seemingly unconscious pokemon to what they hoped was an exit. Cyndaquil breathed a small ball of fire once more, giving Riolu a moment to escape into the gap, where she quickly followed. The yells and roars of the shadow echoed behind them as they fell through reality. All three suddenly crashed into the sand, Riolu grunting as the grains entered their wounds. 

“We’re out, thank goodness!” Cyndaquil exclaimed.

“Yeah…” Riolu replied, wincing as they sat. Zorua remained unconscious. The joy of escaping faded from the awoken duo quickly.

“What was that thing you summoned? You said ’persona’, right?”

“Yeah, I think so. It just happened on instinct...”

“Really? Is it a skill you forgot about learning?” 

“It said I was a guy too, inside my head.” Riolu said, causing Cyndaquil to tilt her head in confusion.

“You didn’t know already?”

“No, I still don’t know much of anything.” he said, unsure of what that information even meant for himself.

“Well, you to rest. We all do, but I don’t know what to do about Zorua.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, he seems tied in some way to…” she went silent for a moment, looking out at the ocean, “to that place. If we just turned him in like an outlaw, who knows what’ll happen.”

“Turn him in?”

“When pokemon break laws and don’t atone, they send teams to take them to justice!’ Cyndaquil began, excitement returning to her voice again, “It’s what my dad and Feraligatr do, they’re like masters!”

“So there are a lot of different pokemon in the world, huh?”

“Yep!” she said, pointing up at the cliff above them, “Up there is Treasure Town, then Sharpedo Bluff is along the outskirts.” 

“Will we be fine there?”

“We should be. Dad might raise a fuss, but he’ll probably be mostly fine since I wasn’t injured.”

“How do we even describe that though?”

“I don’t want to lie to them, but we might have to. If they think something’s wrong in there they might go to investigate it…”

“But then what about Zorua?”

“We might just have to keep him with us for the time being, say we found him in there.”

“I guess, but it isn’t like we can trust him.”

“You say that, yet you did go and face off that monster.”

“We had to fight, that’s all. I didn’t want to die already.”

“Well, if nothing else, we need to get you patched up. Zorua can’t exactly run in that condition, so it might be fine to just lock him up somewhere if we can. We just need to get you and him there without making a ruckus.”

“I can’t pick him up, not now, so we need somewhere I can drag him.”

“No, I should be fine to pick him up, the issue is just not being seen. It might cause problems...”

“I see…” he said, looking out at the ocean. The sun was beginning to set, tinting the world around them orange. 

“It’s always a beautiful sight, y’know?” Cyndaquil said, as the sun slowly dipped under the horizon. 

“I believe it.” Riolu replied, feeling his tension and pain ebb away as absentmindedly scratched at his chest. The wound he had taken directly was thankfully shallow and thin, and was already beginning to close.

“Sometimes, when the sun’s setting, the Krabby will come out from the rocks and blow bubbles… Dad brought me to see it before, when I was even younger.” Cyndaquil said, a hint of wistfulness in her voice. 

“Is… there something wrong between the two of you?” Riolu asked, picking up on her tone.

“No… he’s just busy a lot. There’s been a lot more mystery dungeons popping up recently, so exploration teams are always being sent to investigate them. I wish I could go with him and Reginald but…”

“Reginald?”

“Oh right, I never told you! Dad’s partner used to be a human!” Cyndaquil yelled, “He goes by a human name instead of by his species, unlike most pokemon.”

_ “Another human?”  _ Riolu thought,  _ “There’s more pokemon like me?” _

“I want to become brave like them, though. Dad and Reginald tell me stories all the time of their adventures, all the treasure they found and the friends they made… I want to be like that too. I’m just… not good enough yet.” Cyndaquil sighed, looking out over the water.

“I don’t really have anything to do yet,” Riolu began, tossing one of the stones in the sand out into the water, “But, in the meantime, i’ll help you.”

“Well, I think our first mission should be to deal with everything down below in that… fake mystery dungeon.” Cyndaquil said, seemingly finding a new resolution.

“It looks like it’s safe for now, since it doesn’t look like those creatures can leave… but it doesn’t mean it’ll stay that way.” 

“Yeah, but I can’t fight those things, not alone. I don’t have that thing you summoned…”

“Even with it, I still got my butt kicked…” 

“But, if you train with it… maybe we can do more. I can support you with smokescreens and such, but it’ll have to fall on you to do the majority of the damage.”

“So, a team then?”

“Yeah, a team.” Cyndaquil said. As she spoke, Riolu felt something shift inside his head, and another voice began to speak.

“With your actions, a bond forms. By the power of your spirit, the Oath of the Chariot Arcana forms…” 

“Hey, Riolu!” Cyndaquil said, snapping him out of his sudden daze, “You okay?”

“Yeah, just tired.” he quickly said, standing up. Cyndaquil stood up as well, walking over to were Zorua still lay unconscious. 

“Let’s get going then,” she said, hefting Zorua onto her back. “It’s dark enough now, most pokemon are probably inside their homes now.”

“Lead the way then.” Riolu asked, as they began the trek towards Treasure Town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, so some things to explain ig.
> 
> First off, Shadow Mystery Dungeons behave most similarly to Persona 4's TV World dungeons, Shadow selves included. Evidently this isn't the only way people will be realizing their personas, but that's for later. I used that basic guideline since it really fits mystery dungeons (Different every time you enter, "treasure" at the end with a set length in floors, etc.), so on and so forth.
> 
> Second off, oaths. This is basically just my renaming of Social Links/Confidants that I think fits better in the story. Functionally they aren't really different.
> 
> Finally, if you have any questions or suggestions, you're free to ask. I really do enjoy the curiosity and help it provides.
> 
> Thank you for reading, and hopefully I can post more consistently soon!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio arrives at Sharpedo Bluff, Riolu returns to the velvet room, and the oath of the Reverse Magician is formed.

“Finally… this is it.” Cyndaquil said, stepping over to a large hatch on the cliffside. A metal handle stuck from the wooden frame, which Riolu walked over and grasped. With a huff and a slight grunt he lifted it up, revealing a stairway leading into the earth beneath them. Cyndaquil stepped down, followed shortly by Riolu. They exited into an open area, with Cyndaquil setting the still unconscious Zorua to her side. 

The room had an open side to their right, with stalagmites and stalactites forming what appeared to be teeth. The upper roof stretched out far further than the bottom, granting protection from the elements. Near this opening were two large piles of straw, with large alcoves in the middle where something had evidently pressed them down. Water spouted into a carved fountain in the corner to their left, which Cyndaquil walked over to drink from as Riolu marvelled at the sight.

“They’re not here.” Cyndaquil said after drinking, sighing as she walked over to a wooden table that jutted from the wall. On it rested a note, which she began to read aloud,  _ “Cyndaquil, your father and I have been called to Shaymin Village for an emergency. We do not know when we’ll return, as the outlaw in question has supposedly fled the scene. It’ll most likely take us ten days, but we may be a while longer if things go poorly. Stay safe, Reginald.” _

She returned the note to the table, resting in the smallest seat. Across from here were two large stools evidently meant for far larger pokemon. 

“Hey, you okay Riolu?” Cyndaquil asked, taking notice of his stillness. He nodded, and sat down in a far less worn seat next to her. 

“Is this normal?” Riolu asked, looking over to the smaller mound of straw along the opposite wall and a door a few steps away from the table.

“Yeah, being as strong as them means pokemon often want them around for safety. They hate saying no to pokemon who need help too, so…”

“Well, I guess it gives us time to wait for him to wake up.” Riolu said, motioning to Zorua.

“Yeah… I need to pull out beds for the two of you, it is getting late after all.” 

“Here, let me help.” 

The duo walked into the back room, which turned out to be a storage room with a space set for emergencies. Artifacts of multiple shapes and sizes, including what appeared to be musical instruments, covered the various wooden and stone shelves in the room, as well as large bundles of the same straw that made up the beds in the main room. 

“Should we really keep Zorua out like this? What if he wakes up in the night?”

“He’s still badly hurt even if he does wake up, he needs a few days to heal at least. It should be fine.” Cyndaquil said, puffing up her own bed. With a resounding thump, she hopped onto it, letting her body relax after a long day. She was fast asleep within moments.

_ “Does she really trust me that much already?”  _ Riolu thought to himself, settling down into his own bed. It was oddly comfortable, so it didn’t take long for him to find a way to sleep. Zorua was still unconscious, set (or rather dumped) into his own bed. Riolu felt his own eyelids grow heavy, as the strain of his newfound power dragged him to sleep.

* * *

Riolu’s eyes opened to a dark blue wall. He was resting against something metallic, though not a seat. Before him was Igor, sitting at his desk. With his grin growing wider, Igor began to speak. “Welcome once again to the Velvet Room, my young guest.” 

“You have awakened to your mask,” Dorothea said, once again stepping from behind the desk. “The power known as a Persona, and your defense against the Shadows of this world.”

“But what even is it? Why couldn’t I fight that shadow that attacked us?”

“The power of your Persona is directly related to the bonds you form with those around you,” Igor continued, cryptic as ever. He slid his hands over his desk, multiple flipped cards appearing before Riolu. “You haven’t yet realized it yet, but your control over the power of Persona is… unique. There exists not one, but hundreds of Personas within you. You will no doubt find some as your journey continues, but to unlock some will require our aid. The powers your bonds will unlock will soon allow you to overcome threats far beyond the foes you currently face.”

“We apologize that we do not currently have much time to speak, but we ask that you return once you have found more of these Personas from within your soul. When the time comes, we will be able to aid you further.”

“But, in order to return of your own will, you will require  _ this _ .” Igor finished, holding out a fancy blue key. Riolu silently accepted it, mulling over the options within his head.

“Until you return again, dear guest.” Dorothea said, as sleep fell over Riolu once again.

* * *

His consciousness returning to his body, Riolu could hear the sound of calm waves and the scent of salty air. He groaned, shifting in place. He felt a soft hand grab his shoulder, causing his eyes to jolt open.

“Hey, c’mon, Zorua’s awake.” Cyndaquil said, motioning over to the vulpine thief. He stared at the duo. “You wanna say anything yet?” Zorua shook his head, not breaking his gaze for more than a blink.

“You seem awfully quiet compared to before in that mystery dungeon.” Riolu said, sitting up in his bed.

Zorua shifted, wincing as he sat up himself. “You didn’t have to protect me.”

“Well what else were we supposed to do?” Cyndaquil said, “I would never leave another pokemon in a place like that, especially with a  _ thing _ like that around.”

“Besides, you evidently weren’t getting out yourself.” Riolu followed.

Zorua was silent for a few moments, the tension in the open room building. “I heard you guys talking about going back inside.”

“So you made me carry you for nothing?!” Cyndaquil said, stamping her foot on the ground.

“No, I actually couldn’t move, I was basically a furry egg.”

Cyndaquil grumbled silently to herself. “Is it related to that monster that attacked us in the bottom?” she said, to Zorua visibly wincing and shrinking back. 

“I need to beat that thing.” Zorua said, the anger in his voice clear. “Those things it said…”

“Well, I think you know we already plan to go back there.” Riolu said. Zorua nodded, so he continued “The more people we have with us the better frankly. It’s hard to do much against those things without this Persona thing I got, but it's better than going in alone.”

“Evidently it wasn’t strong enough to beat the one that pretended to be me though, was it?” Zorua said, “We need a way out if it finds us again.” 

“Well yeah, but we might be fine,” Cyndaquil said, Zorua and Riolu turning in a mixture of shock and disbelief. “Think about it, it spurred Zorua to ‘deny’ it, didn’t it? It only attacked once he did. Whatever it is, I think that leader one has some sort of rule it has to follow before it attacks us.”

“That’s assuming it isn’t still berserk down there.” Zorua said. Cyndaquil smiled and reached into her bag.

“That’s why I went and got this.” she said, pulling out a translucent blue orb. “An Escape Orb.”

“Well…” Zorua said, mulling over his options silently, “I don’t have a choice but to go with you if i want to face that thing.” 

“So, we’re going in there together then?” Cyndaquil asked

“Well, not while I’m like this, but… yes. I have to beat that thing.” Zorua said.

“Let’s work together then.” Riolu finished, as he felt a dull shift in his head.

_ “With your actions, a bond forms. By the power of your spirit, the Oath of the Reverse Magician Arcana forms…”  _

“Well… uh… is there anything we can do about the cuts all over my body?”

“Oh yeah, that.” Cyndaquil said, scratching at her nose, “I guess I should have fixed that last night, shouldn’t I?” 

“You also said you were planning on locking me up, and evidently that didn’t happen either.”

“Well, I was considering it. You were unconscious and injured already though so I figured it wasn’t needed.”

“Fine, fine.” Zorua said, laying back down to rest. 

Riolu silently stared at the other pokemon as Cyndaquil walked into the backroom once again to grab a few herbs and bandages. Zorua looked over Riolu and muttered something under his breath before closing his eyes again.

“ _ Well, at least we’re a larger team now?” _ Riolu thought to himself, pondering what the voices in his head were talking about. “ _ Chariot... Reverse Magician… what do they actually mean? _ ” 

His thoughts would remain unanswered as Cyndaquil returned, berries in hand.


	5. Preparations for a Second Intrusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party prepares for their return to the Shadow World in Treasure Town, and prepares to take a request from Wigglytuff's Guild while they recuperate.

After Cyndaquils aid, a quick meal and a quick wash, the trio exited Sharpedo Bluff and began the trek towards Treasure Town. Riolu gaped at the size of the area, and more importantly the various pokemon that filled the paths, stalls, and larger buildings.

“Oh yeah, you never got a good look last night, did you?” Cyndaquil said, casting Riolu a glance. “It’s a lot more lively during the day isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I think it’s better like this.” Riolu replied, a thin smile rising on his lips. The sight gave rise to a warm feeling in his chest. Zorua wasn’t nearly as pleased.

“Too many people…” he muttered, slinking behind Riolu and Cyndaquil as they tracked down the path into town. Riolu looked back at Zorua, noticing his constant worried glances to the various pokemon around them. “Hey, can we talk real quick?” Zorua asked, motioning towards a small gap between two of the buildings, hardly large enough to be called an alley. 

“What is it?”

“I just… don’t wanna say it here.” he said, walking into the gap. Riolu and Cyndaquil sighed and followed.

“You seem a lot less cool out here you know.” Cyndaquil said, resting against the wall.

“Well… I won’t pretend like I'm good with places like this. I’d much rather  _ not  _ be in the open, at least like this.”

“What do you mean, ‘Like this’?” Riolu said, looking back at the groups of pokemon passing by.

“Well…” Zorua said, looking past the duo into the crowd. He squinted, and then his body seemed to phase itself as he shifted into a perfect replica of a Treecko. 

“So that’s what you did…” Riolu said, watching as the transformed Zorua looked over his body. 

“It’s just an illusion, mind you.” Zorua said, his voice off pitched slightly. “Actual transformation isn’t possible.”

“That’s so cool though!” Cyndaquil said, “Why don’t you want people to see?”

Even though the illusion’s expression didn’t change, Riolu could feel Zorua tense up and shudder. “You should know exactly why, it’s how I was able to sneak up on you.”

“Don’t remind me…” Cyndaquil said, scratching her head. 

“Well, that isn’t important for now,” Riolu said, “We need to get more supplies since there’s 3 of us.”

“Yeah, and I don’t think either of you have money.” Cyndaquil said, turning around and stepping out from their small hiding place. The other two quickly followed, Riolu feeling Zorua’s intense gaze on his back, as though he was trying to dissect him through his illusion. 

“You’re odd, you know that?” Zorua said, Cyndaquil leading the trio through town.

“Yeah, you’re one to talk,” Cyndaquil replied with a bemused expression.

“I wasn’t talking to you,” Zorua said, “I’m talking to him.”

“Then what do you mean?” Riolu said, looking back at Zorua.

“You’re just… different. There’s just something about you that doesn’t seem like a normal pokemon.”

“Could it be that I can summon a human ghost?”

“Yeah, definitely not because you’re an enigma or anything, just the ghost part.” Zorua deadpanned, “What the hell are you in this for anyways?”

“I don’t really think it’s a good idea to talk about all that in the middle of town.” Cyndaquil said, stopping before a building in the shape of a large lizard’s head. Two pokemon walked out, one in purple and green and the other in green and yellow, despite being the same species.

“Oh! Welcome back!” The green one said, “I see you’ve brought new companions?”

“Companions with money, I presume?” the purple one followed, eyeing Riolu and illusion hidden Zorua.

“Hmmm. A Zorua, how curious.” The green one continued, to Zorua’s shock.

“How can you-”

“Yeah, we’re going adventuring again so we wanted to restock for more people than usual.” Cyndaquil said, ignoring Zorua’s stammering,

“Fair indeed, though we haven’t introduced ourselves to your companions. We’re Kecleon, humble merchants selling to brave explorers… and less brave ones as well.” the green Kecleon said, “What may we interest you in?”

Riolu stopped paying attention to the sale and light haggling going between Cyndaquil and the two Kecleon to look to Zorua. “So, that illusion isn’t exactly perfect is it?”

Zorua’s glare burned on Riolu despite the illusion’s neutral expression. “They’re merchants, I guess it isn’t exactly a surprise they’d learn to do so.”

“Are pokemon with power over illusions thieves that often?” Riolu thought out loud, scratching at his chin. Before Zorua could retort, they heard the clink of money hitting the counter that separated the merchants from their customers, followed by the soft plops of multiple bagged items. Cyndaquil grabbed the bag, and the purple Kecleon grabbed the money in the blink of an eye. 

“We hope to make a deal with you again!” the green Kecleon said, to which Cyndaquil responded with a wave goodbye.

“Sheesh, this stuff never comes cheap.” Cyndaquil said once they were out of earshot, followed by a sigh. 

“Well, we’re prepared at least.” Riolu said, as they continued down the path, exiting town to a crossroads. 

“Where are we going now anyways?” Zorua asked, returning to his normal form. The town had mostly faded, with a few pokemon scattered about, mostly stemming from a small building nearby. A sign a few steps from the door read “Spinda’s Cafe”.

“Hey, we aren’t going there.” Cyndaquil said, snapping her two companions out of a stupor they didn’t realize they were in. 

“Well you still haven’t answered.” Zorua snarkily replied. Cyndaquil shrugged, and walked northward. Riolu could see the trees that surrounded the area slowly fading to tall unlit torches.

“Honestly Zorua I’m shocked you don’t know where we’re going,” Cyndaquil finally said, taking the path upwards. Zorua stopped in place, seemingly lost in thought, before he suddenly gasped. 

“You can’t be serious! Why the heck would you  _ ever  _ take me into a guild?!”

“Hey, just stay calm. You haven’t robbed anyone else,  _ riiiiight _ ?” Cyndaquil said, to Zorua’s long silence.

“Well… I might have.” Zorua said. In the blink of an eye Cyndaquil went from joking to serious, and started back towards Zorua.

“Well, what did you steal? You better still have it because I  _ will _ make you return it.”

“See… that’s the thing, it was food, you can’t exactly return that can you?” Zorua glared back. 

“Then all the more reason to take a request so you can pay them back for it.”

“You’re not giving up on this, are you?” 

“Nope.”

“I’m still not exactly sure what this place is anyways, much less what we’re doing here.” Riolu said, hands up at his shoulders and a bashful expression on his face. 

“Oh right! I keep forgetting you don’t remember anything.”

“Really now…” Zorua said, suddenly intently focused on Riolu, Cyndaquil continued without acknowledging him.

“Up this is the main exploration guild on the Grass Continent, Wigglytuff’s Guild. Here exploration and rescue teams take requests from pokemon in need to relate to mystery dungeons or otherwise dangerous places in the world. They also tr-”

“Yeah that’s enough of a history lesson, he knows what he needs to.” Zorua interjected, “Let’s just get this over with.”

“Hey! It’s important he knows those kinda things! Dad and Reginald studied here!”

“It’s fine, we can talk about it later.” Riolu said, stepping between the two pokemon. “What did you have in mind Cyndaquil?”

“Well, I was saying we just take something simple, get a little bit of teamwork and such in before we go back to that… place. But also now we need the reward money to pay for Zorua’s… debts.”

“It’s not a  _ debt _ if they never caught me.”

“Who did you rob anyways?”

“Secret.”

“I can and will parade you around that entire town as a thief to find who you robbed if I need to.”

“I’ll tell you after then.”

“I won’t accept that, and you can’t expect me to!” 

“And what does it really matter to you, huh? You’re wasting the time you apparently want to use today, so why don’t we get to it?”

“Fine, but don’t think I’m gonna drop this.”

“Of course it's fine. It’s a problem for me later.” Zorua said, walking up the path. 

“Well, no reason to wait any longer…” Cyndaquil muttered, before her and Riolu followed.


End file.
